Sept. 3, 2026
DENVER – Given the extraordinary drought and fire year, Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff have been responding to a drastic increase in bear reports from the public. While wildlife officers work to manage and mitigate human-bear interactions statewide, relocation and euthanization options are exercised for bears that have been hit by motor vehicles, are found suffering from poor health and body condition, have attacked humans, or have entered homes or other structures.
This year, the public has expressed a strong interest in understanding these numbers as we enter the early days of hyperphagia.
These numbers will be finalized in the 2027 final report, but CPW is providing preliminary numbers below to increase public awareness and understanding of the importance of being BearWise® in Colorado.
As of August 31, 2026:Human-Bear Incident reports – 8,672 reports of bear-related sightings and incidents, compared to 3,680 reports through August, 2025Bear Relocations – 98 bears relocated, compared to 33 bears relocated through August, 2025Bears Euthanized by CPW – 294 bears euthanized, compared to 83 bears euthanized through August, 2025While the reported numbers through August are an increase from annual reports over the last 5 years, agency response has remained proportional to the number of reported incidents. The number of reported incidents in 2026 to date is 3.6 times the current 5-year average (2020-2025) level. Tracking this figure, relocations have increased by 3.5 times and euthanizations by 2.7 times compared to their respective 5-year averages.
CPW asks that residents and visitors remain BearWise® and respect how to live with bears in Colorado as they continue to seek easy calories heading into the fall and winter months. For additional free, downloadable resources, visit bearwise.org.
Media Resources
Folders with photos and videos from bear encounters for use by media outlets can be found at the CPW Bear Media Package. |
